1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a communication system, a peripheral state display method, and a computer-executable program. More particularly, the present invention relates to a communication system, a peripheral apparatus state display method, and a computer-executable program which are useful for displaying a state of a peripheral apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, along with the popularization of digital broadcasting and broadband network, digital television (DTV), which allows convenient and easy use of communication service as well as broadcast service, has become prevalent. Further, a technique used for connecting the DTV and digital devices (also referred to as peripheral apparatuses) including a printer, is in widespread public use, and services provided by the DTV in association with the various digital devices are gathering attention. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-304338 discusses a printing service provided by DTV in association with a printer, which is capable of printing the content received by the DTV according to an instruction from the DTV. Generally, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is used as a communication protocol in providing such a service.
Printing processes for printing the content of digital broadcasting is started by having a user select a print instruction button displayed on a screen of the DTV with, for example, a remote control. Then, a print job is issued from the DTV to the printer, and the printer starts printing. Naturally, most of such content is printed while the user is viewing a broadcast program. If, for example, an error such as no paper or low ink level occurs while the printing operation is being executed, the printer can issue a notification message to the DTV in a form of UPnP event notification. This kind of error is generally displayed as an overlay message on the screen of the DTV. Since this type of error message is displayed on the screen displaying the broadcast program, usually, a specification of the DTV is prepared such that the error message is deleted after it is displayed for a predetermined length of time so as not to disturb the user viewing the program.
However, as described above, if the error message is deleted after a predetermined length of time has passed, and the user has not noticed the error message, then the user may not be able to take appropriate action. In that case, the printer may be left in the error state, with the printing either not having been started or not having been completed.
According to network communication protocols, such as UPnP and Web Services on Devices (WSD), which are often used in such a printing system, notification about a status of a device, such as a printer, is mainly given to the DTV in the form of an event notification. The event notification is defined by an established standard, so that it can be issued only when a status of the device is changed. Thus, conventionally, an event notification cannot be issued a plurality of times for a certain error state.